Toronto Ontario Square and Canada Square | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

junctionist said:
It's "Canada Square", a new public space in the biggest city of a grand and beautiful country. Modeling our public squares, especially given how few there are, after the most humble villages is odd and inappropriate.

Monumental spaces inspire community on a national level. How glorious it would be if we could build spaces that would make all Canadians proud and bolster a collective identity, one that is explicit, rather than implicit, hidden in the proportions of a village, which at first glance seems insignificant. Few people will ever realize that kind of symbolism. It's just not enough to make an impact.
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Well said!! :)
 
junctionist said:
It's "Canada Square", a new public space in the biggest city of a grand and beautiful country. Modeling our public squares, especially given how few there are, after the most humble villages is odd and inappropriate.

Monumental spaces inspire community on a national level. How glorious it would be if we could build spaces that would make all Canadians proud and bolster a collective identity, one that is explicit, rather than implicit, hidden in the proportions of a village, which at first glance seems insignificant. Few people will ever realize that kind of symbolism. It's just not enough to make an impact.
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Agree entirely.
This is a chance to put a jewel on the waterfront. It is prime real estate for something grand and if we were to accept the arguments of those who posted above then it's clear we've been conditioned to accept that we're just a bunch of "modest Canadians" who don't "do grand." I'm sorry, but you can be a modest nation with pride. A square named after Canada should exhibit some history and place it within the modern landscape.


Also, this argument that a true square would create a windswept space that no one would visit in the winter is mediocre at best. The waterfront isn't a winter venue and this vision for a sub-par Canada square certainly isn't going to fix that. If the waterfront is only busy from March to October, then so be it. I see nothing wrong with that because it's the reality of our geography. Until they put some buildings or festivals that are worth visiting on the waterfront, no one is going to use it year round. And Canada Square isn't the answer to "some buildings" either. I'm speaking to real top notch cultural and entertainment centres that people will gladly flock to. In the meantime, the fact we only have a short time to enjoy the waterfront at its fullest makes us enjoy it even more.
 
jn_12 said:
Also, this argument that a true square would create a windswept space that no one would visit in the winter is mediocre at best. The waterfront isn't a winter venue and this vision for a sub-par Canada square certainly isn't going to fix that. If the waterfront is only busy from March to October, then so be it. I see nothing wrong with that because it's the reality of our geography. Until they put some buildings or festivals that are worth visiting on the waterfront, no one is going to use it year round. And Canada Square isn't the answer to "some buildings" either. I'm speaking to real top notch cultural and entertainment centres that people will gladly flock to. In the meantime, the fact we only have a short time to enjoy the waterfront at its fullest makes us enjoy it even more.
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Chicago's waterfront is also a 'windswept space' but people still flock to see it in the winter. Just goes to show that if you make it something big, people will come.
 
That's a very good point. They have many attractions on the waterfront that help bring people down there though. The Art Institute, Field Museum. Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium are all top notch attractions. Do we have anything similar on our waterfront? If we somehow linked the Tower with the waterfront we can throw that in there, but we definitely need more. We need amazing public spaces coupled with attractive cultural and leisure opportunities if we want any hope for a year-round waterfront. I'd be perfectly okay with Canada Square not being a square at all if it was a building of the quality that any on Chicago's waterfront provides. This "village" scheme just isn't going to cut it though.
 
I know that there are a bunch of UT forum members that hate everything about Dubai but this is what we need to inject the excitement down there 365 days a year.

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CANADA SQUARE
World-class Aquarium and educational Discovery Centre
World’s largest indoor Gold Souk
Fashion Avenue dedicated to haute couture
Indoor Olympic-size Ice Rink
SEGA indoor theme park
Innovative children’s ‘edu-tainment’ concept, KidZania
Exclusive access to the Path System the world’s longest underground walkway and shopping complex.
22-screen Cineplex
The Grove, an indoor-outdoor streetscape
Region’s first Galeries Lafayette department store
Over 1,200 stores
14,000 car parking spaces
120 food & beverage outlets
With an impressive array of leisure pursuits, this is the ultimate, cutting-edge shopping experience. A range of adventure sports vies for attention alongside the romance of ice-skating. Canada Square is a place where outdoor brunch can be followed by the delights of the big screen and where a 21st century gold souk is set off against a world class aquarium. When was the last time your sortie to the designer stores took place under the watchful eye of a giant sea turtle? Step inside Canada Square and experience a place like no other.
 
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^ We're looking for something that would attract people to the waterfront, not a West Edmonton Mall-like complex that competes with just about every neighbourhood, shopping street and tourist attraction in Toronto.
 
wyliepoon said:
^ We're looking for something that would attract people to the waterfront, not a West Edmonton Mall-like complex that competes with just about every neighbourhood, shopping street and tourist attraction in Toronto.
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Come on West Edmonton Mall, Eatons Centre these venues are all over 20 years old.We need to think modern and get out of the hatees.
 
Well, if it's an square with shops outside, chances are it's going to be dead half the year because people won't go out in the cold. If it's a mall, people can hang out in the area during the winter. I think having entertainment centered around harbourfront would being it business all year round. Otherwise it's going to be forever dead half the year round and nothing will change. Who wants to walk to the harbourfront to hang out at 0C to -30C :O
 
There are Atriums,most of the recent build ones are solar powered to cut down on energy costs Its the trend at the moment with many cities around the world building huge ones,again if only our leaders had a vision there would be no need to be talking of cold weather.

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That looks nice and all but you could build it anywhere.
Let's not forget this is the waterfront and that should be the central feature.
 
I think some ae taking "Canada" waaay too literally

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Vegas would be proud

Just goes to show that if you make it something big, people will come.
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Chicago's waterfront has decades on ours. It's been long established in the minds of the locals. The comparison is pointless.
 
Automation Gallery said:
I know its the waterfront and its not thriving at the moment.Even Baltimore and Cleveland have managed to build nicer and more entertaining waterfronts than ours.
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Have you been there during the summer? It's actually really, really busy. Even right now the Natrel skating rink draws a ton of people each day, although that's a very localized crowd. The massive improvements to the public realm that are underway will draw even more people. Touristy indoor venues are not the answer.

Also, is Chicago's waterfront really that different from ours? They have huge expressways running right along the water. We'll soon have a large pedestrian promenade and a transit ROW, plus a neat series of slips and bridges. Advantage Toronto! They have that neat Navy Pier thing, but we have Ontario Place. And the Ex. And the Island. It's only a matter of time until our huge waterfront catches up through work that is in progress to bring it all together.
 
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A really doubt the cities you mention can compare to our waterfront in the summer ... in terms of the # of people there ... As grey mentioend above.

During the winter though, you may have a point. There's not much to draw people to that space.

I'm really not sure what the solution is though - If you build complexes like the ones you suggested your really just placing them on the waterfront so it will be used 100% of the time. But, really, in the end - what's the point?

In the summer time your "indoor" complexes will just be wasting space.

Unless there's something can convert from indoor to outdoor I'd rather have it sit empty during the winter as to not sacrifice it for summer/spring/fall time use.
 
lesouris said:
I agree with you completely and this render excites me a lot more than just another wide open space with some statues and an over-the-top water feature. That sort of space would remain windswept and empty in the winter, whereas this proposal promises an all-year destination. It creates an intimate space where the big city meets the big lake without isolating itself from either.

As for it living up to its name, I think this is a great symbol for what it means to be Canadian. We cherish interaction between each other - we cherish community - over giant displays of patriotism. We consciously avoid the "my square is bigger than yours," "my fountain shoots higher than yours," "my sculptures cost more than yours" mentality. The square invites us - the people - to become the attraction, to become living pieces of art.

Plus with the vibrant colours and emphasis on the lake as an attraction in and of itself, it seems to me like an urban take on the East Cost fishing village.

Hopefully they open up a nice ice cream shop in one of those buildings. It would really draw people down there on hot summer days.
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It's attitudes like this that give us such wonderful places like Toronto Life Square. This is modest Toronto, we should be satisfied with modest gestures and third rate everything. We are quite happy being good enough. (sorry, good enough just doesn't cut it)
 
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